Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Amendments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee reviews mid‑cycle budget amendments for police salaries, facilities and capital projects
Summary
City staff presented a package of budget adjustments including corrections to court and police salaries, expected facility repairs, a $133,000 change order on a surface‑water capital project and vehicle/equipment allocations. No amendments were adopted at the June 26 meeting; staff will return with revenue receipts and revised numbers.
Lake Forest Park staff presented an initial package of budget amendments to the Budget & Finance Committee on June 26 that would correct earlier omissions, add one‑time facility repairs and reconcile several capital projects. Committee members asked for more detail on revenues that would offset some costs; no amendments were adopted at the meeting.
Staff said the dashboard shows multiple operating lines that warrant attention: the community crime‑watch/community policing supplies line was at about 73 percent of its biennial budget; the dispatch line shows early invoicing patterns that will continue to make it appear underspent; executive and several other operating lines were tracking close to budget targets. Staff flagged police overtime and third‑party reimbursement revenue (for security provided to external events) as a pass‑through that should be increased on both the revenue and expenditure sides.
On stated amendments, staff described a small number of specific items: an approximately $12,000 shortfall tied to court software/municipal services activity that requires correction in the budget; a payroll correction to expand a court probation position (from 0.2 to 0.3 FTE) that had been omitted when the budget was adopted; adjustments to police salaries and benefits to reflect a recently ratified collective bargaining agreement; and an increase to facility maintenance and repairs to address health and safety issues at City Hall.
In capital programs, staff reported that the PD locker‑room project is complete but included several additional contractor charges (electrical and exterior adjustments) that required budget reconciliation; the Beach Drive lift station is in design; the roundabout project and asphalt overlay work are advancing; and the surface‑water material bin cover project incurred a $133,000 change order for contaminated soils, over‑excavation and replacement foundation materials. Staff said that contaminated‑soil work and additional excavation are complete for that change‑order item.
Vehicle and equipment adjustments were also discussed. Staff said the vehicle replacement revenue had been budgeted but the corresponding expenditures were not allocated at the time the biennial budget was adopted; the amendment would allocate those expenditures so purchases can proceed. A public‑works sweeper repair of about $34,000 was described as nearly complete. Staff acknowledged a bookkeeping omission: two police vehicle purchases tied to traffic enforcement obligations were not shown correctly in the Traffic Safety Fund schedules and will be corrected to show an expense in Fund 002 and the corresponding revenue/transfer into the vehicle replacement fund (Fund 501).
Committee members asked about insurance reimbursements for facility repairs; staff said reimbursements will be shown only after the city actually receives payment and that staff expects to include revenue entries if and when checks arrive prior to the mid‑July council meeting. Members also pressed staff for a clearer picture of how the proposed amendments affect unallocated contingencies and ending fund balances; staff committed to provide updated forecasts at a future touch point.
No motions were adopted on the amendments at the June 26 meeting. Staff will bring a revised, fully reconciled amendment package back to council at a subsequent meeting once reimbursements and final invoices are posted.
